Book Review: White Walls and Straitjackets by David Owain Hughes

This disturbing horror novel doesn’t pull punches as you are introduced to Crystal and Harry, who are two very messed up diabolical characters who take you through the string of short horror stories that are actually a part of the bigger picture of the book as a whole. Set in South Wales, we follow Crystal and Harry as they flee in her van and subsequently find a book in her glove compartment, the book is called White Walls and Straitjackets. The plot turns more sinister as they discover they appear in the pages of the book.

I’m not a big fan of short stories, but the stories here are linked together by Crystal and Harry, which made this book a pleasure to read. I also found the major plot twist hair-raising and was swept away by the graphic and grotesque elements of the story. The newspaper articles and mental health notes at the end add to the chilling factor of the book.